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White Castle editorial debut taps mobile video for its core audience

Fast food chain White Castle is making its leap into editorial content with a five-part recipe series on YouTube, as it hopes to stand out with millennials who flock to video and entertainment on mobile. 

The series is produced in partnership with Tastemade, a digital video network that focuses on food-related content, and Foodbeast, a food news Web site to provide recipes that incorporate White Castle burgers. The video series is aimed at targeting a younger generation who desire relevant video content delivered through mobile devices.

"We have a unique opportunity to tell chefs' stories while also showcasing the iconic Slider in a way that hasn't been done before," said Geoff Kutnick, co-founder of FOODBEAST and "For the Love of the Slider" host. "The range of chefs for the series has to be one of our favorite elements. 

"From heavily-acclaimed Edward Lee and James Beard nominated-Tanya Baker, to New Yorker and Filipino Taqueria phenomenon Jordan Andino, and finally, the self-taught culinary guru Marcus Meacham from Columbus, Ohio. The food and cast is one of the most diverse we've had the opportunity to work with."

Slider love
The video series is titled ?For the Love of the Slider? and will show a variety of celebrity chefs from the both the culinary world and the world of food blogging who will create their favorite recipes using White Castle?s famous sliders.

The series premiered its first episode on Oct. 18, featuring Chef Linh Nguyen. The first episode, and all future episodes, premiered first on Foodbeast?s official YouTube channel.

The series aims to air new episodes roughly every two weeks until the five-episode run is complete.  Each episode is about five minutes long and stars a different chef making a different slider-inspired recipe.


Chef Linh Nguyen

Each recipe is made using frozen White Castle Sliders that the chefs personalize with their own unique touches. Chef Linh, in the inaugural episode, makes his with chili peppers and bacon jam.

Mobile video

For brands who are targeting the younger audiences, as White Castle is doing with their new web series, digital video has proven an effective method of reaching them.

Many of the chefs featured in the videos are younger or have a wider audience with hip, young urbanites who devour digital video content in much higher doses than older consumers.

Digital video is also a great way for brands to reach out to consumers through mobile, as much of the digital and social video engagement brands see comes from the mobile channel.


White Castle's frozen sliders

Mobile has been a priority for White Castle in recent months. The chain just unveiled its first full-feature app earlier this year, complete with mobile ordering capabilities (
see story).

Now that its mobile commerce angle is on the right track, brands such as White Castle need to turn their attention to marketing initiatives such as For the Love of the Slider as a way of capturing the attention of a young, mobile audience and attracting them towards that mobile commerce angle.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Tastemade and FOODBEAST on this fun project, and we hope it will encourage Cravers all over the U.S. to channel their creativity and make their own recipes inspired by White Castle's Original Slider," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle. "Whether purchasing Sliders at a nearby Castle or grocery store, these chefs prove that Sliders are the perfect ingredient for Crave-worthy creations."